The Golden Keys awarded to three Concierges

St. James’s Hotel and Club a 5* 60 bedroom townhouse hotel situated in St. James’s near Mayfair is proud to announce that Concierge Cezary Walecki has just been awarded The Golden Keys for 2010. This makes an unusual total of three concierges at the hotel who are members of this prestigious organisation: Madeleine Calon Head Concierge, Tony O’Connell, Deputy Head Concierge and Kid’s Concierge and now Cezary Walecki.

Assistant Head Concierge Tony O’Connell is the hotel’s resident expert in all things that are fun, informative, unusual and absorbing and can recommend exactly the right activity, restaurant or show for families with children of any age. Madeleine Calon is one of the very few female Head Concierges in London. Calon was accepted into The Society of the Golden Keys in 1995, as the first female member from the UK.

Calon says "It immediately increased the number of people I can call on for help and advice to around 4,000 worldwide," Calon explains. "Now I have no problem in booking seats at a much-sought after restaurant, no matter where it is, such as Le Caprice in New York."

The Society of the Golden Keys of Great Britain and the Commonwealth was founded in 1952 in London. Its principle aims were to develop friendship amongst concierges and to help develop a network of contacts in the hotel fraternity. The Keys as the Society is most commonly called was created when a group of Head Hall Porters of several leading London Hotels got together and agreed to set up an organisation which closely resembled one which had been formed some years earlier in France called Les Clefs D¹Or (The Golden Keys). Members are all employed as uniformed Concierges at hotels of good-standing for a minimum of five years, and have had their knowledge put to the test by senior figures in the Society.

St James’s Hotel & Club is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World